LA Angels: Halos’ biggest strengths and weaknesses through 16 games

Another strength for the Angels as previously mentioned is their bullpen which has looked sharp even after most of the Halos relief pitchers last season are all gone.

Angels: The bullpen has been rebuilt, and ranks amongst MLB’s best.

Angels general manager, Perry Minasian, worked hard on finding the right pieces that would help shape the bullpen and they’ve delivered thus far. Heading into Wednesday, the Angels bullpen is tied for first in all of MLB. They are right there with their division rival Mariners, with a combined 3.75 ERA, holding hitters to a .248 combined average with a 1.33 WHIP and 62 strikeouts.

One name from last season that has stayed consistent is Mike Mayers, he has a 0.93 ERA in eight games pitched with a 1.03 WHIP and holding opposing batters to a .171 batting average.

Mayers did allow three runs in Wednesday’s game agains the Rangers, but the blame should not be put entirely on him. Manager Joe Maddon opted to use Mayers for the second consecutive contest after he threw 27 pitches the previous night. It doesn’t matter how much he’s been locked-in, that’s asking a lot for any pitcher. He’s still impressed enough this season to believe his most recent outing is a slight bump in the road.

Other recent acquisitions that have performed well are Steve Cishek and Tony Watson which were last-minute moves for the Angels and have proven effective so far.

While that’s been going great for the Halos, there are some weaknesses they need to address if they want to stay at their current pace.

One weak spot has been the Angels defense, which is something that didn’t look to be an issue when the season first started, however, they currently lead the league in errors. This needs to be to clean up. Another thing that leads to those miscues is the lack of depth the team has on the bench.

Fundamentals and depth have been lacking for the Angels thus far.

Anthony Rendon has been sidelined with a groin issue which leaves third base open for either Jose Rojas or Luis Rengifo which has been a major drop off in terms of talent when it comes to backups.

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Speaking of injuries, that is another thing the Angels need to somehow avoid if they can, they’ve already lost Dexter Fowler for the season, Juan Lagares is on the injured list, and of course the previously mentioned Rendon. For some, they are just nagging injuries that they can come back from, however, the lack of depth always makes injuries stand out even more and starts raising questions about who’s starting. They also have relief pitcher Felix Pena on the injured list who was also a key contributor to the Angels last season and could provide valuable depth in the bullpen once he comes back.

Overall, the Angels have looked good for the first 16 games of the season, of course every team has something to improve on, but the issues with the Angels stick out like a sore thumb. Health is going to be the main challenge for this team as injuries haven’t been too kind to the Angels in the past and have always slowed down their groove.

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If they can figure out the injuries and sharpen up the defense which was already highly coveted, then this Angels team could carry the same momentum the rest of the season.